We are working very hard to increase the number of removals

Home Office spokesman

But the Home Office denied the 30,000 target had been abandoned, insisting it had always been a "very ambitious" aim.

The provisional figures were published in a three-month batch for the first time, and include extra data after Mr Blunkett promised to improve their "transparency, clarity and reliability".

Most of the recent applications came from Afghanistan, but there were also big increases in the number of Somalis and Iraqis arriving in Britain.

The rise in applications was down 1,580, or eight per cent, compared with the same period in 2000.

Eurotunnel entry

But the figures do not include dependants such as spouses, children or elderly relatives, and the total number of arrivals in Britain when these are estimated is more than 23,000.

The number of initial decisions made by immigration officers showed a sharp fall from 27,310 in the previous three months to 22,790.

Asylum decisions, June to September

Granted asylum: 2,160 (9%) Exceptional leave to remain: 4,030 (16%) Refused: 16,600 (73%)

There are still 43,000 outstanding applications.

A Home Office spokesman said the home secretary has said that he wants there to be more than 30,000 removals by 2003, but the initial target had not been abandoned.

"In order to be able to meet that target he wants the Immigration Service to be removing 2,500 asylum seekers each month by next year," he said.

"We've opened three new detention centres in recent months and 700 new immigration officers are being trained to work particularly in this area."

He said the rise in applications related to a period over the summer when there was "lots of clandestine entries through Eurotunnel".

On benefit

"The phenomenon can also be seen in Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Belgium, which all saw increases in applications during the same period," he said.

The figures also reveal for the first time the number of asylum seekers who are receiving benefits from the National Asylum Support Service (Nass).

Many asylum seekers slipped through the Eurotunnel

At the end of September there were 52,790 applicants receiving support, including dependants.

Nearly 33,000 of them were receiving housing plus asylum seeker vouchers from Nass, and about 20,000 were receiving vouchers only.

The total does not include asylum seekers who arrived before Nass began operating in April 2000.

The prime minister's official spokesman said that although the number of initial decisions on claims had fallen since the previous quarter, it continued to outstrip the number of new applications.

"We are making progress and moving forward. Nevertheless, this will require further reform of the system."

Shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin said the figures illustrated the urgent need for Mr Blunkett to bring forward his White Paper on the reform of the asylum system.

"With a continuing backlog of over 40,000 applicants waiting for an initial decision, and around 50,000 waiting for appeals to be heard, it is vital that we are given details of the proposed new induction and accommodation centres," he said.